NMP 631 Grant Writing for Corporations and

Foundations

NMP 650 E-Portfolio Assignment #1

Athena Gould

CorporationsCorporations have different reasons for supporting nonprofits:

Fulfillment of social and civic responsibility

Helping to strengthen the communities in

which they operate

Building relationships with the community

Improved morale of employees

Better corporate image

Greater competitive advantage

(Wason, 2004, p.17)

Community vs. Private Foundations“…although community foundations and private foundations have many things in common … they also have two fundamental divergences: community foundations must raise money to meet the public support test, and private foundations, for the most part, do not raise money due to the unfavorable tax treatment of gifts made to them.”

(Orosz, 2000, p.17)

Foundations: Their Societal Role“Despite this wide diversity, the great majority of U.S. foundations would probably agree with the following four statements: Foundations should primarily concentrate on

philanthropy (root causes) as opposed to charity (meeting immediate needs.)

Foundations should primarily concentrate on supporting innovation as opposed to supporting ongoing programs.

Foundations should primarily concentrate on leveraging funds as opposed to being the sole funder

Foundations should primarily concentrate on helping good ideas get a trial and a start as opposed to funding tested and proved approaches.”

(Orosz, 2000, p.18)

Letter of InquirySome funders require a letter of inquiry as a preliminary step before being invited to submit a complete proposal

Funding sources request Letters of Inquiry for two reasons:

They want to know if your organization has taken the time to think through the project

They want to make sure that it is a good fit with their mission.

(Wason, 2004, p.102)

Opening Paragraph

Statement of Need/Rationale (1 – 2 paragraphs)

Organizational Description (1 -2 paragraphs

Description of the project (up to 1 page,

including timeline and outcomes)

Budget request and information (1 – 2

paragraphs)

Closing

Attachments

Letter of Inquiry Components

(Wason, 2004, p.108)

The following is a checklist to ensure that your agency has all of the pieces needed for a complete grant proposal.

Components of a Grant Proposal

Cover letter (1 page)

Cover page (1 page, optional)

Table of contents (optional)

Introduction (1 page or less)

Organizational credentials (1 – 2

pages)

Statement of need (1 – 2 pages)(Wason, 2004, p.173)

Components of a Grant Proposal (cont.)

Project methods (3 – 5 pages,

including goals/objectives, project

description, timeline, and evaluation)

Budget (1 - 2 pages)

Conclusion (1/2 page)

Attachments

(Wason, 2004, p.173)

Cover LetterShould include:Your organization’s nameTitle and synopsis of your proposed projectBrief statement indicating how your project links

to the funder’s prioritiesType of grant you are requesting (capital,

program development, challenge, etc.)Amount of grant requestFollow-up statement or requestName, email address, and phone number of the

proposal’s contact personSignature (typically of board chair or CEO)

(Wason, 2004, p.175)

We will only review the required sections of the

proposal.

(Photo courtesy of ehow.com)

IntroductionThe Introduction page supplements the cover page and provides a brief overview of what to expect in the proposal.Link the funder’s priorities to your

projectProvide a brief summary of your

organization and its credentialsBriefly describe the need your project

will addressLay out the nuts and bolts of the projectIndicate the project budget and amount

requested

(Wason, 2004, p.179)

Organizational Credentials Should include:

Organization’s mission and history

Demographics of clients

Qualifications and structure of staff

Board make up

Major accomplishments of agency and

future goals

Describe organization’s ability to fulfill

goals of grant request(Wason, 2004, p.183)

Statement of NeedUse a needs assessment to develop and illustrate the need for the services that your agency provides.

Who is affected by the problem?

What factors contribute to the existence of

the problem?

What can be done to help the problem?

What is currently being done to address the

problem?

What else needs to be done?(Wason, 2004, p.185)

Project MethodsCarefully lay out the details of the proposal. Help the funder understand how the project will address the issues stated in the Statement of Need section.

This section should include: Goals and Objectives – describe the

effects of the on the problems Project Description – how you will meet

the goals and objectives Timeline – concrete plan for

implementing each part of the project Evaluation – methods used to measure

effectiveness of project

(Wason, 2004, p.195)

BudgetThe budget illustrates the total amount of money needed to implement the project, and the amount requested from the funder. A support and revenue statement can help the funder decipher what components of the budget have been paid for by other sources. A budget narrative will explain how the budget was created.

(Wason, 2004, p.211)

Conclusion

The conclusion is the close of the proposal. It should be short,

highlighting key components of the proposal.

(Wason, 2004, p. 227)

Don’t forget to thank the funder, even if you do not receive funding!!

Photo Courtesy of piersonlibrary.org

ReferencesOrosz, J. J. (2000). The insider's guide to grantmaking. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass.

Wason, S. D. (2004). Grant writing handbook. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley

Publishing, Inc.